Shine Jacob And Indivjal Dhasmana

Stories by Shine Jacob And Indivjal Dhasmana

iPhone 14 production cut may not impact Apple's India plans: Experts

iPhone 14 production cut may not impact Apple's India plans: Experts

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2022

The Apple iPhone comprises 44 per cent of the global smartphone market's revenues and it is the second most-such device to be shipped after Samsung. More than half of smartphones used in the US are iPhones. More than 7 million iPhones are expected to be sold in India in 2022, extending the user base to 20 million, according to market research and analyst firm Techarc. Hence, the news about Apple scaling down its production target for iPhone 14 in India has made news.

Majority of Mercedes-Benz models in India to be EVs by 2030: CEO Schwenk

Majority of Mercedes-Benz models in India to be EVs by 2030: CEO Schwenk

Rediff.com   7 Oct 2022

Driven by a rise in sales during the current year, German luxury carmaker Mercedes-Benz said on Thursday that the company is expecting a growth in sales of around 8-10 per cent in the next few years. This comes at a time when the company is ready to surpass the previous highest sales of 15,538 vehicles (2018) in 2022. During the first half, the company sold 7,600 units. It already has an order bank of around 7,000 vehicles. In 2021, the company sold 11,242 vehicles.

30% of two-wheelers will be electric by 2030: Study

30% of two-wheelers will be electric by 2030: Study

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2022

India will have 30 per cent of its two-wheeler industry turning electric by 2030 as new manufacturers lead the shift, said a report on Monday. Passenger vehicles will be 15 per cent electric and the three-wheeler segment 75 per cent electric by 2030, said the report by BNP Paribas called 'India Autos-Electric vehicles: Minutes to midnight'. "We see FY22 as the year of inflection for the two-wheeler EV industry, with an accelerated EV adoption helped by incentives, wider availability, model launches, rise in crude prices and improved general awareness. We see 30 per cent of the 2W industry turning electric by 2030; the pace of incentive withdrawal presents an upside/downside risk," the report (India Autos - Electric vehicles: Minutes to midnight) said.

Sharp Spike In Fever Cases

Sharp Spike In Fever Cases

Rediff.com   1 Oct 2022

'This year there is a sharp spike in fever cases, and it seems to be more than the pre-COVID-19 levels.'

Tatas to invest $90 bn in India in 5 years

Tatas to invest $90 bn in India in 5 years

Rediff.com   23 Sep 2022

The Tata group is planning to invest $90 billion in new industries such as mobile components plant, semiconductor, electric vehicles, batteries, renewables energy and e-commerce by 2027. The Tata group's investment in India is far higher than the $75-billion investments planned by Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries and $55-billion investment planned by the Adani group in the next five years in the country, the Economist reported recently. The investment by the Tata group is a shift in its strategy to focus more in the home markets instead of international markets where the group lost money.

Amazon readies plan for 100% dependence on renewable energy by 2025

Amazon readies plan for 100% dependence on renewable energy by 2025

Rediff.com   22 Sep 2022

As part of its road map to achieve 100 per cent dependence on renewable energy by 2025, Amazon on Wednesday announced its first utility-scale renewable energy projects in India - three solar farms located in Rajasthan. These include a 210-megawatt (Mw) project to be developed by India-based developer ReNew Power, a 100 Mw project to be developed by local developer Amp Energy India, and a 110 Mw project to be developed by Brookfield Renewable Partners. By the end of 2021, the company had reached 85 per cent renewable energy across its business.

Moscow now wants biz in ruble, trade may take a hit

Moscow now wants biz in ruble, trade may take a hit

Rediff.com   19 Sep 2022

Russian traders have started asking for payments in ruble for their exports to India in a move that could derail trade between the two countries which gathered pace after the war in Europe. This is because Indian importers are unable to pay in ruble. The India-Russia trade gathered pace after Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine in February this year. In the April-June quarter, India's imports from Russia were valued at $9.27 billion, up 369 per cent year on year.

Kerala likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam

Kerala likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam

Rediff.com   7 Sep 2022

Kerala is likely to witness all-time high liquor sales this Onam, the harvest festival, with the season already reporting a 30 per cent hike. According to the Kerala State Beverages Corporation (BevCo), the first few days of this Onam season have set the tone for record sales. "During last year's Onam season, our sales were around Rs 561 crore. This year, we expect it to be over Rs 700 crore," said Yogesh Gupta, chairman and managing director, BevCo.

Ford India offers final severance package for Chennai unit employees

Ford India offers final severance package for Chennai unit employees

Rediff.com   6 Sep 2022

Ford India has offered a "final revised severance package" for its employees at the Chennai unit, which is on average equivalent to 130 days of gross wages per completed year of service. The company said this was rolled out in the absence of any suitable alternative buyer. As part of the earlier package, employees were offered 115 days of gross wages for each completed year of service, which was later revised to 124 days.

Can India grow at 7% a year over the next 25 years?

Can India grow at 7% a year over the next 25 years?

Rediff.com   3 Sep 2022

If that happens, India's economic size will be just shy of $20 trillion and its annual per capita income will be about $10,000, when the country celebrates its centenary of independence.

GAIL feels blowback from Ukraine war

GAIL feels blowback from Ukraine war

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2022

On February 24, when Vladimir Putin announced a military operation on Ukraine, few would have thought that Indian government-owned GAIL India would feel the impact. The tensions over gas supplies were essentially a Europe-Russia problem, related to the sanctions western economies imposed on Moscow. But the EU depends on Russian imports for 40 per cent of its gas stocks, an over-dependence that Russia has underlined with Kremlin-owned Gazprom cutting its supplies through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline to 20 per cent, citing maintenance issues.

IIT-M Scores BIG On Job Offers

IIT-M Scores BIG On Job Offers

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2022

The average salary received by students during campus placements for 2021-2022 was Rs 21.48 lakh per annum. The highest salary offered was $250,000.

Can Nitish-Tejashwi's second coming stem Bihar's rot?

Can Nitish-Tejashwi's second coming stem Bihar's rot?

Rediff.com   12 Aug 2022

Various indicators make it amply clear that there are grave challenges facing the new government of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, reports Indivjal Dhasmana.

Post office staff swindles Rs 96 cr of public money in saving schemes: CAG

Post office staff swindles Rs 96 cr of public money in saving schemes: CAG

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2022

The staff at post offices misappropriated Rs 95.62 crore of public money between November 2002 and September 2021, the Comptroller and Auditor General has said. The money may seem small but it is what common citizen invested in post office savings, the oldest and the largest banking system in the country. The system serves the investment needs of urban and rural clients through schemes such as savings bank, recurring deposits, time deposits, national savings certificates, kisan vikas patras, public provident fund, monthly income account scheme, sukanya samriddhi accounts and senior citizens savings scheme.

India's plan to produce ethanol from 2G sources delayed

India's plan to produce ethanol from 2G sources delayed

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2022

India's plan to produce ethanol from second-generation (2G) sources -- mainly farm waste -- is taking time to materialise even as the government is set to dedicate to the nation on Wednesday a Rs 900-crore plant set up by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) in Panipat. Though state-run oil companies had decided to set up at least 12 plants in 2016-17 with an investment of around Rs 10,000 crore, this will be the first unit coming on track while others are stuck in various stages owing to issues like capital expenditure, lack of feedstock, and high rates of finished products compared to traditional ethanol units. According to industry sources, three more second-generation plants are coming up.

Taxpayers fear notices due to I-T dept slips

Taxpayers fear notices due to I-T dept slips

Rediff.com   8 Aug 2022

Income-tax payers fear they will receive notices from the government because the annual information statement (AIS) provided by the I-T department in many cases is showing incomes in excess of their earnings. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has dismissed these fears as unfounded. The deadline for filing income-tax returns (ITRs) for the assessment year 2022-23 ended on July 31.

Wheat, pulses, cooking gas topped inflation charts in June

Wheat, pulses, cooking gas topped inflation charts in June

Rediff.com   3 Aug 2022

The impact of fiscal measures announced by the government to contain inflation will be seen in the next few months because of the base effect, reports Indivjal Dhasmana.

Battered by three decades of controversy, TMB looks back to the future

Battered by three decades of controversy, TMB looks back to the future

Rediff.com   28 Jul 2022

June was a memorable month for the 101-year-old Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (TMB). Last month, the Thoothukudi-based bank witnessed two new landmarks in a history in which the last three decades could easily qualify for a Kollywood blockbuster.

Moody's warns of India's vulnerability to volatile food, energy prices

Moody's warns of India's vulnerability to volatile food, energy prices

Rediff.com   20 Jul 2022

Moody's Investors Service has warned that India, along with the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam are highly vulnerable to volatile food and energy prices in the Asia-Pacific region as the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to disrupt supplies and raise the cost of agricultural products, especially cereals and vegetable oils, as well as fertilizers and other agricultural inputs. This is so because these countries have a higher weighting of energy and food prices in their consumer price index (CPI) baskets, Moody's said in its report released on Tuesday. The weighting of energy and food in overall Indian CPI stands at over 55 per cent.

This super app will offer a range of multi-brand services for passenger cars

This super app will offer a range of multi-brand services for passenger cars

Rediff.com   18 Jul 2022

A single application and a plethora of services for passenger cars - that is what myTVS, a brand that operates under Ki Mobility Solutions and is part of the TVS family, is set to bring to customers, in a bid to disrupt the concept of "super apps" in India. Starting July 15, myTVS will launch its connected car platform or super app called myTVS Life360 for aftermarket passenger cars. Through it, customers will be able to avail themselves of a range of services like maintenance, diagnostics, roadside assistance, accessories, payments, insurance, and so on.